Curtain roller construction



W. S. HAMM Feb. 27, H934.,

CURTAIN ROLLER CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct'lI Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED oFFicE William S. Hamm, Elkhart, Ind., assigner to The Adlake Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 3, 1932. Serial No. 635,951

#Claims This invention has to do with curtain rollers of the spring wound type, and is particularly concerned with the construction of the mandrels used in the ratchet ends of such rollers. The principal object of the invention is to provide a mandrel of new and improved construction, which is made out of wire, in a multiple strand formation, is quite light, and can be produced at very little cost.

Other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon a full understanding of the construction of the mandrel.

m' Y slightly different forms of the invention are presented herein by Way of exemplication, 15 but it will of course be appreciated that the invention may be embodied in still other structurally modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned fragmentary side View of a curtain roller equipped with the mandrel of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the roller, showing the mandrel;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the roller at the location of the mandrel;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the mandrel, apart from the roller;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the mandrel, taken on the line 5-5 of Eig. 4;

Fig. 6 is another transverse section through the mandrel, taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 'l is a side View of a somewhat similar mandrel which also embodies the invention.

The form of the invention which is shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive Will first be described. In those views, one end of a curtain roller 10 is shown, mounted in the usual Way in an end bracket 11. The roller 10 contains an end bung 12, a mandrel 13 which is journaled in the bung, a pawl 14 which is pivotally mounted on the bung and is adapted to engage with teeth 15 in the outer portion of the mandrel, and a spring 16 which is connected to the inner portion of the mandrel and is also connected to an anchoring bung 1'? which is secured within the roller.

The invention resides in the novel construction of the mandrel 13. The mandrel, instead of being formed in the usual way from a solid rod, is made up from a length of wire which is bent back on itself in such a manner as to provide a straight stein portion 18 and a iiat key portion 19 at the outer end of the stem portion. The wire which is used in making the mandrel is preferably of semi-circular cross section, so that when the wire is doubled the two strands which become the stem portion 18 Will fit together back to back as shown in Fig. 5 in a composite formation of circular cross sec- 6e tion. The stem portion 18 is designed to turn freely in bearing apertures 20 in the bung l2, and the inner end of the stem portion is designed to have the adjacent end of the spring 16 sleeved over the same in tight binding en- 65 gagement therewith. The key portion 19 is produced by bending an eye into the wire at the center of the same. The opposite faces 21 of the eye are preferably attened a little to produce a thin blade-like formation for non-rotatable engagement with the narrow slotl usually present in the bracket 1l.

After the wire has been bent to form the portions 18 and 19, a small centrally apertured disk 22 is preferably sleeved over the portion 75 18 and moved toward the outer end of the mandrel into abutment with the shoulders 23 on the portion 19, after which the wire strands adjacent the inner face of the disk are deformed to hold the disk in place and at the same time go produce the ratchet teeth 15.

In the modification which is shown in Fig. 7, the Wire from which the mandrel is made is bent back double on itself as in the rst described form of the invention, but in this modification 35 `the bend 24 in the Wire is located at the inner end of the mandrel instead of at the outer end and is made quite sharp and abrupt in order not to increase the size of the mandrel at that point. The free ends 25 of the wire are bent into small 9o open U-shaped formations which are arranged in complementary relation to produce an eye-like key portion at the outer end of the mandrel, which portion is preferably flattened somewhat as in the first described embodiment of the invention.

A curtain roller mandrel constructed in accordance with the present invention is light in Weight, provides a very desirable form of frictional anchorage for the torsion spring and is of such character as to lend itself readily to eX- tremely low cost production in an automatic Wire machine. The composite nature of the stem of the mandrel assures a snug fit of the stem portion in its bearings and also a secure engagement of the stem portion with the spring. While the mandrel is preferably made from wire of semicircular cross section, it may also be made from wire of other cross sections. If wire of circular or rectangular cross section is employed, it will 1,10

Vof course be understood that the multiple strand stem portion of the mandrel may be subjected to a pressing operation to better shape the same for coacting with the bung and the spring.

The invention may also be advantageously embodied in the plain mandrel or trunnion at the other end of the roller, in which case the key portion on the outer end of the mandrel would be omitted.

I claim:

1. In a spring wound curtain roller, a mandrel mounted in one end of the roller for engagement with an end bracket, said mandrel consisting of a length of wire which is bent back on itself to form a straight stem portion of substantially circular cross section.

Z, In a spring wound curtain roller, a mandrel journaled in one end of the roller for nonrotatable engagement with an end bracket, said mandrel consisting of a. length of Wire which is bent back on itself to form a straight stem portion and an enlarged key portion at one end of the stem portion.

3. In a spring wound curtain roller, a mandrel journaled in one end of the roller for non-rotajournaled in one end of the roller for nonrotatable engagement with an end bracket, said bent back on itself to form a straight stern portion of circular cross section and an enlarged key portion of elongated cross section at one end of the stem portion.

4. In a spring Wound curtain roller, a mandrel journaled in one end of the roller for non-rotatable engagement with an end bracket, said mandrel consisting of a length of wire the center of which is bent to form an eye and the end portions of which are arranged alongside each other to form a stem.

5. In a spring Wound curtain roller, a mandrel journaled in one end of the roller for nonrotat able engagement with an end bracket, said mandrel consisting of a length of half-round Wire the center of which is bent to form an eye and the end portions of which are arranged alongside each other to form a stem, a centrally apertured disk mounted on the stem in engagement with the eye, and ratchet teeth formations in the stem adjacent the disk.

WILLIAM S. HAMM.

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTIONe Patent No. l,949, 160. February 27, 1934.

WlLLIAM S. HAMM.

Ait is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, lne 25, claim 3, strike out the words "journaled in one end of the roller tor non-rota"; and line 78, same claim, before "bent" insert mandrel consisting of a length of wire which is; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these correctiens therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Gfice.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of May, A. l). 1934.

Bryan M. Battey (Seal) Acting Commissioner el Patents, 

